The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Wednesday, slammed criminal charges against the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and former Director-General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Ayodele Oke.
The charge against Lawal came about two years after he was accused of diverting over N272 million contract the Presidential Initiative for North East, PINE, awarded for the removal of grasses in Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camps, to his own company.
The ex-SGF, who is facing a 10-count charge, will be docked alongside three other defendants, Hamidu David Lawal, Sulaiman Abubakar and Apeh John Monday, as well as firms allegedly fingered in the grass-cutting scandal, Rholavision Engineering Limited and Josmon Technologies Limited.
The defendants will be arraigned before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory next week.
Similarly, EFCC equally filed a four-count charge against the former Director-General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Ayodele Oke before the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.
Oke was charged alongside his wife, Folashade, following their alleged involvement in the over $43.5million that was stashed in a mansion in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
The duo will also be arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos, next week.
Meanwhile, some of the counts in the charge against the ex-SGF, marked CR/158/19, read: “That you Engineer Babachir David Lawal while being the Secretary to the Government of the Federation {SGF} and a director of Rholavision Engineering Ltd, Hamidu David lawal being a Director of Rholavision Engneering Ltd, Sulaiman Abubakar being a staff of Rholavision Engineering Ltd and Rholavision Engineering Ltd on or about the 7th of March, 2016 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did conspire to commit an offence to wit: fraudulent acquisition of property and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 26 (1) (c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Retated Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under Section 12 of the same Act.
“That you Engineer Babachir David Lawal while being the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and a director of Rholavision Engineering Ltd, on or about the 7th of March, 2016 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did knowingly hold indirectly a private interest in the consultancy contract awarded to Rholavision Engineering Ltd for the removal of invasive plant species and simplified irrigation to the tune of N7, 009,515.96 by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) through the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.
“That you Engineer Babachir David Lawal white being the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and a director of Rholavision Engineering Ltd on or about the 4th of March, 2016 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did knowingly hold indirectly a private interest in the contract awarded to Josmon Technologies Ltd but executed by Rholavision Engineering Ltd for the removal of invasive plant species and simplified irrigation to the tune of N272,524,356.02 by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) through the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
”That you Engineer Babachir David Lawal while being the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and a director of Rholavision Engineering Ltd on or about the 22nd August, 2016 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did knowingly hold indirectly a private interest in the contract awarded to Josmon Technologies Ltd but executed by Rholavision Engineering Ltd for the removal of invasive plant species and simplified irrigation to the tune of N258,132,735 by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) through the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.”
